A day before the rest of the city celebrates Veterans Day, Saint John Catholic School hosted a veterans celebration consisting of patriotic songs and the recognition of local veterans at the Saint John Parish Hall on Thursday.

Lt. Col. Steve Gray, military liaison for Senator John Boozman, spoke to the students about the benefits of living in a democracy, relating his experiences in socialist East Berlin.

“Even in mid-day you could see military cars on every corner and men in uniform watching your every move,” Gray said. “People displayed their poverty with holey and dingy clothes with their heads down embarrassed to acknowledge their western visitors. The roofs were covered with a foot of gray soot from the thousands of fireplaces burning unprocessed coal. Buildings were unpainted and chipped. Sidewalks were like obstacle courses. Apartment buildings were only built up to nine stories because if they were built higher they would have to put an elevator in. Could you imagine living on the top floor and having to take groceries and suitcases and babies up and down that many steps.”

Gray explained a democracy allows citizens to enjoy benefits East Germany residents did not have.

“In a free society, things like food and clothes and farm equipment and shoes and cars and apartments are built because society has a need. Private people get together with investors and with the help of banks so people can enjoy them,” Gray said.

Gray went on to explain to the students the rights we have as members of a democracy and how we maintain those rights.

“You have all of these wonderful gifts because our founding fathers had the idea no other country had before: Rights that cannot be taken away — unalienable. They are not given to us by the government. Millions of veterans have continued to fight to preserve them,” Gray said.

Following Gray’s speech, about 30 veterans in attendance were called to the front of the Parish Hall and asked to tell their branch of service and each was presented with a card from a Saint John student.

Among the musical performances was “The Rap of the States,” presented by second- through fifth-grade students, a performance of “God bless America” by kindergarten students and “America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee)” by pre-kindergarten students.